


the life of a star

by Hitoshi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Child Soldiers, Childhood Trauma, F/F, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Nebula (Marvel), Nebula (Marvel) Angst, Nebula (Marvel) Feels, Nebula (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Nebula-centric (Marvel), Non-Consensual Body Modification, Not Beta Read, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Child Abuse, Recovery, child!Nebula, farmer lesbians, illegal adoption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24697291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitoshi/pseuds/Hitoshi
Summary: After another harrowing spar with Gamora and losing, Nebula is finished. This time, how many parts of herself did she lose? She couldn't even count. Her warm, fleshy insides which had ruptured after Gamora threw her off the cliff had been replaced. She couldn't feel her heart beating. Her eyes... She didn't think she could even cry. Or maybe she was just too used to this to care.She finds a pod and flies far, far away. Anywhere. She didn't have a place in mind. Her planet was destroyed. All she wanted to go was just somewhere far from the Mad Titan and whom she had considered her sister. The young girl crash-lands on Earth, only to have two Earthlings find her and take her in as their own.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	1. Nebula

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [TAN - a story about Tony and Nebula](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815447) by [silver_starfish01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_starfish01/pseuds/silver_starfish01). 



> Hiiii! So, I just found a fanfic that hasn't been updated in a few months that really inspired me. I just rewatched Endgame and man, that scene where Nebula was fighting against Nebula with Gamora there really hurt me... I wish there was more Nebula-centric content out there. So haha, I'm writing my own! Hopefully the person who inspired me doesn't think I'm stealing their idea... I'm making something different out of this baby and if they ever read this, I hope they enjoy!

She had lost yet again. Horribly, this time. The last thing she saw was Gamora’s horrified face as she realized where exactly she had flipped Nebula over and then there was a horrible _splat_ and she was out like a light.  
  


She woke up feeling cold. Cold and so, so disoriented. It took her a few hours to adjust to the foreign arm the first time it happened. She had stumbled over her leg and bumped into everything. As Thanos’ child however, she adjusted. She had to and she’d adjust to this too.   
  


Even though she was sure her heart was of iron and steel now, it still ached. She had almost won that fight. Had they not been near the edge of a cliff, she would have gotten up and kicked Gamora in the stomach with her metal limb. She’d have gotten the upper hand there. She could have possibly flipped Gamora too, if not for the way she saw Gamora looking into her eyes… She hadn’t meant to do it. But yet, she still did it.   
  


Nebula’s once tiny, lithe body had turned into metal rods expertly fitted together like that of a puzzle. All because of Gamora.  
  


_No, she knew she shouldn’t blame Gamora. It was Father’s fault that she was this way. He was just pitting them against each other.  
  
_

But deep in her belly, hate coiled for Gamora. _Gamora_ was the one who flipped her over, cracking her spine in four separate places and bashing her head in. _Gamora_ was the one who couldn’t let her catch a break and _Gamora_ was the one who insisted on winning over and over again. She was Father’s favorite. If she lost, Father wouldn’t replace anything of her perfect body.   
  


It hadn’t been fair… Gamora had just turned 15 and Nebula wasn’t even a teen yet. She stood at the age of 12, just shy of a growth spurt that Gamora had spectacularly grown into. Nebula wondered if she’d even get a growth spurt at all. After all, so much of her was metal. What was there to grow?  
  


Tears stung at her eye. There was only one, the other being replaced with an inky black ball that was most certainly not organic. Tears stung, but they never fell. Would she ever cry again? Could she ever cry again? Father hadn’t removed her tear ducts yet, but there may come a time where he would.   
  


She reached out for that one memory she had. Of warmth and gentle touch. She vaguely remembered being held in someone’s arms. Had it been her mother? Or maybe her real father. Fresh disappointment grew in her like fire once the soothing effects it had diminished and faded, carried off by her tumultuous thoughts.  
  


_Why couldn’t she have died with her planet? Why had she lived? What about her stood out to the Mad Titan?  
  
_

… Knowing his ways by now, Nebula knew that he had just chosen her on a whim. She was fodder for Gamora. The weakened pup that would help Gamora, the vicious beast, hone her abilities, even at the cost of Nebula’s life.  
  


She wondered if Father would order for Gamora to take her life one day. One day in the future where Gamora had beaten her once again and she was being flattened by Gamora’s heel. She noticed that over time, Gamora would apply more and more pressure. There were no whispered _‘sorrys’_ that she heard once Father picked her up and had her taken away. There was no one there when she turned her head back to find comfort in. There was no one who sat by her berth till she woke up with yet another modification. Not anymore.  
  


There was a strangled sob as Nebula reached up to feel her chest. She had once thought that once her heart was replaced, she’d stop feeling these weak emotions. The ones that wove dreams of her winning and finding Gamora to be a robotic husk, just like her. The ones that whispered in her ear about wishes and daydreams about them being true sisters that snuck into each others’ beds to whisper silly little secrets into the other’s ear.   
  


Obviously, her heart still worked on a spiritual level. It showed her, on days when she looked into the mirror and saw a monster instead of her soft blue skin and luscious black hair, that she was still Nebula, modifications aside. But whether that was for better or for worse, she didn’t know.   
  


The only thing she knew was that she hated Gamora, and she hated Father, and she hated herself for being so weak to the point where Father had to replace her flesh with metal sheets and electric wires. She hated that she hated Gamora and she hated Gamora for never letting her win. Just once. That was all she ever wanted. A reprieve from the pain and loss. But she never ever got what she wanted.   
  


* * *

  
She had a pod and the next thing she knew she was in it.  
  


Father brought Nebula and Gamora on his journeys now. The planet he had just eradicated was one of science and technology. They tried valiantly against Father, but of course, he won in the end. He always did. He sat on the throne of the now deceased King as his troops split the crowds into two and blasted one of them. Babies were ripped from their mothers’ arms, siblings snivelling as they were pried apart, men just shot when they tried to resist.  
  


Nebula and Gamora had been sent off to find(and kill) anyone else they could find. Whoever came back with the highest kill count won this round. Gamora had taken off without a word, without a glance at Nebula. Her heart traitorously squeezed in her chest. So that was the game Gamora was going to play. They weren’t even being physically pit against each other yet Gamora didn’t even want to look at her. What, was she so self-assured of her own victory that she didn’t bother looking at her opponent? Nebula was good at fighting and killing, so long as it wasn’t against Gamora.  
  


_(When had she stopped thinking of Gamora as a sister and thought of her as an opponent?)  
  
_

She sped off as well, going in the complete opposite direction. She headed towards the inner city, where she was sure stragglers who hid from Father’s soldiers would be poking their heads out now. Big mistake.   
  


How many had she killed by now? Thirteen, thirty, three hundred. She stopped counting after she hit fifty. No matter, she’d bring their corpses back to Father so he could see for himself how good she could be.   
  


After finishing off a screaming male of the species, she entered the building he was so desperately protecting to find a female and two children. The mother shrieked and the children clung to their mother instead of the pod she was putting them into. It was almost cheating, how easy she was able to rack up four tally marks in the span of a minute. She checked her internal clock. Ah, even less than that.   
  


She lifted the bodies of her victims over her shoulder and carried them outside for safe keeping. This was so she wouldn’t forget them when it was time to bring them all to Father.   
  


She knew she should have kept on moving. Every second wasted was ten bodies Gamora was able to find and finish off. She couldn’t take a break here and underestimate her opponent. Gamora moved as quickly as a snake and struck like one too-- silent, deadly, and before her victim even knew. But the pod…   
  


She knew Father hadn’t installed an auto-pilot function yet. She hadn’t fucked up that badly, but she moved as though she were on auto-pilot.   
  


The next thing she knew, she was in the pod. The next, she was exiting the exosphere of the planet.  
  


Fear coursed through her veins. Father would know about this! He’d think she tried to escape, and she did, but she hadn’t _meant_ to! She just moved on her own. What would Father do to her once he found her again? Would he even waste resources trying to? How would he punish her?  
  


_How would he punish her?  
  
_

Her breath quickened with every passing second.   
  


What was going to happen to her? Where was she even going? 


	2. protostar

The landing knocked her out. One moment, she was entering the exosphere and the next, she woke up in a bed covered in blankets.  
  


_ Fuck.  _ She thought.  _ Had she been taken captive?  
  
_

Nebula’s eyes remained close as she focused on the sounds. There was muffled talking. She could make out a few words, but not enough to discern what the topic was. Then, there were footsteps steadily growing louder and she exhaled slowly, making sure to maintain the illusion of sleep as whoever her captors were entered the room.   
  


“You can’t do this, Lisa! We can’t adopt a fucking alien. Look at her. How do we know she isn’t some sort of scout for some alien military? You  _ literally  _ pulled her out of a space pod and we’ve both watched enough sci-fi to know this isn’t going to end well.”   
  


Female and angry. A higher, more feminine voice joined the picture.  
  


“But Johanna! This is literally our only chance at having a kid. All the adoption agencies rejected us. This is our  _ best  _ chance. You always talk about how movies are movies, so what if they’re wrong? And aliens can be nice? E.T. is one of your favorite movies!”  
  


“And don’t you remember what happened at the fucking  _ end _ ? E.T leaves and we’re going to be the ones left missing her or it or whatever that damn thing is and we won’t have a kid anymore. If you really want a kid that bad, let’s adopt a dog or a cat. At least we know they’ll stay.”  
  


The edge of the bed next to her bed dipped as one of them, Nebula didn’t know who, sat down and sighed.   
  


“But you know that isn’t the same. It won’t be. A dog or cat can’t talk. You can’t teach them how to walk and talk and you can’t take them to school or see them graduate. You can’t see them marry and have kids and give them advice...”  
  


“You think with the way the alien looks, it’ll be able to do all the things you want? No fucking chance, honey.” Honey was spat out in an acrid manner. Nebula would know. She thought of Gamora in the same way.  
  


There was another sigh from the one sitting down and a soft,  _ warm  _ hand reached down to touch her face.   
  


“We can tr--”  
  


Nebula’s eyes snapped open and she grabbed the wrist of the one who touched her and twisted. There was a shriek of pain, but she was tackled off and sat on _ , fucking sat on _ before something cold and most definitely metal was shoved to the back of her neck.   
  


“Move and I’ll shoot you.”  
  


This person wasn’t heavy. Nebula could easily flip her off and snatch the gun-- she assumed that was what it was anyway-- from her grasp. Then the tables would be turned. She could tell from the positioning that this ‘Johanna’ wasn’t a trained warrior unlike Nebula.   
  


“W-wait, don’t shoot her!”  
  


Two heads snapped to Lisa, who was now standing and holding both hands up in an attempt to diffuse the situation.   
  


Lisa’s brown eyes looked into Nebula’s own. Never had she seen such… open, expressive eyes. They also reminded her of the inky-black eyes of the mother Nebula had slaughtered before stealing the pod.   
  


“Honey, I don’t know what your name is, but I  _ promise  _ we won’t turn you over to the government or do anything bad to do. We just wanna adopt you and I’ll make you good food and you can play games with Johanna a-and--” Lisa kept on babbling and talking. At one point, Nebula tuned her out.   
  


There were much better things to focus on. Like how Johanna was slowly easing up her leg on Nebula’s back.  
  


“Lisa, it probably can’t even speak  _ English _ , stop rambling.”  
  


At that, Nebula snapped back to attention and she said petulantly. “I can understand you. I’m not stupid.”  
  


Well there goes her other advantage over them.   
  


Johanna leaped off her and Nebula slowly got up. They engaged in a staring competition and clearly Nebula knew she was going to win that. She didn't have her real eye after all, so she wouldn’t need to blink.   
  


She’d win something for once.   
  


“So uh, are you okay with it?” Lisa piped up.   
  


“You’re not serious!” Johanna spluttered. “You’re  _ asking  _ her if she wants to be your daughter?”  
  


“ _ Our  _ daughter.” Lisa corrected with a grin. “And hey, at least I asked. If she accepts, we have no choice but to take her in. We can’t leave this adorable little alien out on her own in this cold, cruel world, can we?”  
  


Johanna was looking at Lisa now. She had been the first to break from the staring contest. Nebula felt a smile light up her face. She had  _ won.  
  
_

“See? She’s smiling. Clearly she wants to be our daughter. Just accept her, Johanna. C’mon.”  
  


“She hasn’t accepted yet.” Johanna said tersely, arms crossed over her chest. Nebula noted that her gun was now in a holster.   
  


So they were giving her a choice? That was new. Or perhaps this wasn’t a choice at all. Perhaps it was a situation where she would be forced into this adoption no matter what she answered. It was like with Father and his soldiers-- those who volunteered were given exponentially better treatment than the ones who were forced (then again, what was better treatment? They all killed and died for Father. They were just more numbers to him)  
  


“Okay. I’ll be your daughter.”  
  


Just five words caused Lisa to squeal and run into Johanna’s arms who huffed as she caught Lisa. Why would Lisa tackle Johanna? What had she ever done to her?  
  


“Right. You’re our daughter now, great. Now, you have a name?”  
  


“... Gamora.”  
  


It would be better for them to not know her real name. She cursed herself for using Gamora’s name. Every time they’d call out to her, they’d be calling for Gamora instead. Then again, maybe she’d be  _ their  _ Gamora. The perfect daughter who never failed. Well, she would once or twice, maybe if she won too much against whichever poor sap who was cursed to go up against her. She knew what it was like to never win.   
  


“Right! Gamora, do you mind if I hug you, kiddo?” Lisa chirped cheerfully. Lisa reminded Gamora of sand. Tiny, annoying, and painful to escape from.   
  


“... No.”  
  


Of course she minded. She hated being touched. Being hugged by some nobody just reminded her of the days when Gamora used to hug her. Being touched also reminded her of what she lost. Warm, soft skin that was able to grow goosebumps. A fleshy face that could pale, redden, and turn green with sickness.   
  


_ No!  _ Her mind roared.  _ She didn’t need any of that. Her weak body was what made her lose to Gamora in the first place!   
  
_

Metal couldn’t bend or break. It couldn’t twist like she had almost twisted Lisa’s wrist. It couldn’t snap like her ankle had when she landed on it awkwardly. Gamora couldn’t have sand thrown in her eyes to distract her. (yet another reason why she hated sand)  
  


She lifted her chin and willed herself to stay still so Lisa could hug her. Yet Lisa didn’t.  
  


Lisa was looking at her strangely.   
  


“You don’t need to tell me that you’re okay with something when you’re not.” She admonished Nebula gently. “Let’s have something to eat? I’m sure you’re hungry.”  
  


How did she know?   
  


* * *

  
Nebula was now sitting in the kitchen, staring at the back of Lisa as the woman hummed and bustled around. There was such a wonderful smell permeating the air from whatever was sizzling in the pans. She idly wondered what she’d need to do to earn this food, if she could even eat it at all. Sometimes Father didn’t let her have meals when she had failed spectacularly. Maybe she should have acted a bit more warm when Lisa wanted to hug her?   
  


She leaned back against the chair and stretched. Johanna had stomped off elsewhere for whatever reason. So Johanna didn’t want her and Lisa did? Well, one less person to charm and manipulate. She needed to find out where she was too. How could she bring this up in a normal, non-suspicious conversation?  
  


The sound of footsteps approached and Nebula turned to see Johanna who had stopped like a deer in headlights when Nebula turned.  
  


“Gamora, was it?” Johanna cleared her throat, arms crossed over her chest again.  
  
“Yes.” She said cautiously. What could she want?  
  


“Well, now that you’re our daughter, there are some rules you need to learn and follow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys liked this !! I'm a part of a contest right now so updates might stop for a week or so till I'm done with it... the prize is a tablet so I hope I win !!


	3. star

Nebula wavered between standing up straight or just sitting straight, but seeing as Johanna was sitting, she chose to stay sitting with her spine as straight as well… a metal rod. She could still bend over and do all sorts of maneuvers, which she was thankful for. Father was always so considerate. Then again, if a warrior were to not be able to bend or twist, that would be heresy.   
  


“Remember where you woke up?” Johanna grunted. “That’s your room now. We have paint in the barn if you want to decorate it later on. Bedtime is at 9pm, there’s a clock in your bedroom so you can check. I understand if you have difficulties sleeping though, since you’re an alien.” She then gave Nebula a strange look. “Do you even need sleep? Were you just passed out due to the crash? Like your systems went all zappy and crazy inside”  
  


Shame ate at her insides like a ravenous hydra. It was just a question, she didn’t know why it made her feel so strongly. She had accepted by now that she was different. She didn’t really need to breathe. Her need to eat and sleep were drastically reduced after the accident with Gamora. She _knew_ all these things.   
  


So why was she ashamed when someone pointed them out?  
  


“I need less than average amounts of sleep.” She finally answered, swallowing the ball in her throat that would have made her voice high and croaky. “I need only one meal a day and I can withstand up to two hours without oxygen.”  
  


She didn’t _need_ food. But she liked it when she had more than one meal a day. It made her feel normal and like she wasn’t a complete killing monster. Underneath the machine, she was still Nebula inside, wasn’t she? Sometimes in her dreams, the innocent little girl with the big blue eyes and long, black hair screamed at Nebula. Nebula with her cold, metal sheets (a mockery of her once warm, soft skin) and her one black eye with a body molded to be a killing machine. The girl always screamed and screamed and when Nebula was younger, she’d wake up with that little blue girl’s scream ringing in her head.  
  


Of course, over time she found ways to silence the little Nebula. Sometimes, Nebula would take her rage out on the little girl, strangling her, watching her turn a ashen shade of purple before passing. Other times, she’d beat the girl. Grabbing her shiny black hair and ripping it out, clawing her eyes, and kicking the tiny form were among Nebula’s favorite ways of making her quiet. The girl would sob quietly as she curled up into a little ball, protecting her fleshy insides from Nebula’s assault.   
  


Nebula always stopped after that. She never had anyone do that for her-- ha, the only person who would ever give her mercy was herself. She tried not to dwell on that thought. It was enough to just wake up to soft crying and not screaming.   
  


Johanna nodded slowly. “I see. So uh… what planet are you from, kid? You guys must be pretty advanced to be able to survive that long without basic necessities.”  
  


“Lumphom.” was Nebula’s quiet response. That was the planet she _was_ from. 

“Uh alright, never heard of it. Interesting.” Johanna nodded. “Must be pretty different from Earth.. It sounds a lot more tech-y and shi-” She stopped herself before she finished the word.  
  


 _Ah. Earth._ Well, this made things easier for her. Earth was a quiet, no-name planet. Hopefully Father wouldn’t find her here? Wait! Why was she hoping for him to not find her? If anything, the longer it took for him to find her, the worse the punishment would be…   
  


“Food’s up!” Lisa called out as she set plates full of some strange floppy tubes drenched in red sauce [blood, her mind thought] and she just stared at it curiously. It smelled _heavenly_ though.  
  


“Gamora!” It took a while before she snapped to attention. She had forgotten that was what she named herself… “It’s spaghetti.” Lisa said earnestly. “I hope you like it. Do you know how to use a spoon and a fork?”   
  


What were those?   
  


Lisa handed her a tiny tri--- no, quad-dent? Quadent? And a small, rounded shovel. Huh.  
  


“So, the round one is the spoon and you use that to scoop stuff up like the sauce or the spaghetti noodles and the fork is the spikey one that you can use to like… twirl and gather up all the noodles! Whatever works.” Lisa shrugged. “I hope none of this is… poisonous to you.”  
  


Lisa sat down at the table as well and started to eat. Johanna had been scarfing down her plate while Lisa had been talking, so her plate was half gone.  
  


Nebula’s heart quickened. (Did it really? Or was the anxiety just getting to her?) What if Johanna ate so fast that she’d want more? She’d steal Nebula’s plate! She wouldn’t do it to Lisa, since Lisa cooked the food and they seemed to like each other, but Nebula…  
  


She couldn’t let that happen. She hadn’t eaten today. This would be her first meal of the day! (She was growing weak already. She had lasted far longer than a day without food. But it smelled so good…)  
  


She immediately began to shove spoonfuls of the spaghetti into her mouth, slurping it up and swallowing without chewing. It tasted like nothing. It smelled like nothing, and Nebula didn’t care. So long as she was getting sustenance, that was enough.   
  


“Whoa there, kiddo! You’re gonna puke if you eat that fast!” Lisa admonished. But Nebula didn’t listen.   
  


Nebula had finished her plate with time to spare. She glanced over at Johanna’s plate and _ha-- Johanna still had a few spoonfuls left.  
  
_

“Uh…” Johanna was staring at her. “You want more, kid?”  
  


Nebula swallowed the mouthful that she had been chewing. The sauce tasted so good and the noodles were so soft… she chewed that mouthful till it was mush.  
  


Lisa took Nebula’s now empty plate and brought it back with a smaller portion of spaghetti.  
  


“Don’t go shoving _this_ down your throat okay?” She laughed softly. “No one’s going to be starving you. You can eat as much as you like, just make sure you don’t eat yourself sick.”  
  


Her stomach was all cramped and hurting, but she wanted more.   
  


“At least drink some water, yeah?” Johanna stood to get Nebula a glass of water. “It’s good to wash things down so you don’t choke or get dehydrated.” Her hand then stayed in mid-air with the glass of water in hand. “Wait… you’re basically a robot. Or cyborg. Do you need water? Will it mess up your insides?”  
  


Nebula felt her cheeks turn red.  
  


“I need water.” She said quietly. “And it won't mess me up.”  
  


Johanna set the glass of water down in front of Nebula. “Right, sorry, kid. It’s just that if you were messed up, no one would be able to help you.”  
  


“That’s right!” Lisa chimed in. “We need you to be safe.”  
  


“I can fix myself.” She always had, for minor injuries. It was hard to injure her in the first place though, seeing as she could literally pull herself together. “I’m waterproof too.”  
  


“Do you um… do you need to take baths?” Lisa asked curiously. “Are just your insides waterproof cause you need water or is all of you waterproof?”  
  


“All of me is.” Nebula mumbled, discomfort bristling against her neck as she stuffed her mouth with the spaghetti. The salty, slightly tangy sauce mingled with the floppy noodles in a way that was so utterly delightful. The white sprinkling of melted needle-like sprinkles were salty and deliciously creamy. 

“Great!” Lisa hummed. “Uh so… after this, me and Jo have family time.”  
  


So was Nebula supposed to stay quietly in her room? She looked at the clock in the living room. Just 7pm. What was she supposed to do till 9pm? Was she allowed to sleep?  
  


“I guess we’re gonna have to teach you to play board games then!” Lisa beamed. “And card games. I hope you don’t have some sort of ultra-computerized brain or something, or else you’ll always beat us at cards!”  
  


She was _joining_ them?  
  


Lisa kept making inane little comments as Nebula ate. Despite how good the food was, her stomach was rumbling irritably. When Nebula was younger, Gamora had tricked her into thinking her stomach was a hungry beast that would eat her inside out if she didn’t feed it in time. Of course, it didn’t help that the next day, she hadn’t been allowed food for another failure. Hunger would make her strong-- it would melt away her baby fat and it would turn her into a hunter raring for Gamora’s blood. That was what Father said.   
  


It only made her faint the day after that during a spar with Gamora. That was when Father had parts of her digestive system upgraded.   
  


“Oh! We should give you a tour of the place in the morning.”  
  


Johanna grunted in agreement, behind Lisa. She was messing with the pots and pans-- oh! So that was where she could get more of this spaghetti. Johanna sat back down next to Nebula with a full plate of spaghetti.   
  


“We’re a farm, see, Jo’s farm, actually! Jo, why don’t you tell her about it?” Lisa stared expectantly at Johanna.   
  


“Yeah, well I grow peppers. Bell peppers, spicy peppers, tomatoes too. We have a few fruit trees in back, though we don’t sell any of those. Lisa’s been trying to grow strawberries in our personal garden though.” Johanna said with a snort. “And flowers.”  
  


“Flowers are nice!” Lisa protested. “They brighten the place up. C’mon, I know you like my flowers.”  
  


“I dunno. They sure are pretty, but their pollen gets everywhere.” Johanna said, eyes locked onto Lisa’s as she grinned.  
  


“Oh please-- you’re a farmer-” She huffed. “You’re used to pollen and all that stuff- I had worse allergies than you when we were younger.”  
  


“Mhm.” Johanna hummed, eyes turning down towards the spaghetti.  
  


Nebula shifted uncomfortably in her seat. What was this… atmosphere? What were these two women doing, spewing barbed words at each other like that? They were smiling and grinning, and they clearly cared about each other.   
  


Johanna took one look at Nebula and immediately fell quiet. She locked eyes with Lisa again and tilted her head in Nebula’s direction.  
  


“Oh yeah, the kid-” Lisa squeaked. “Sorry, probably not appropriate. You must have been really confused.”   
  


“May I be excused?” Nebula asked quietly. Whatever was going to happen, Nebula didn’t want any part of it.   
  


“Oh, but what about family night?” Lisa frowned softly.   
  


“Let her go, Lise. I’m sure the kid’s tuckered out. Let her sleep, yeah? We can just have this night to ourselves, like we always do.” Johanna murmured just as she finished her plate of spaghetti. She took Nebula’s empty plate and cup, stacking the two items and putting them in the sink. Nebula took this as her cue to leave. She got up silently and pushed her chair in-- Johanna had done the same.   
  


“Oh yeah, Gamora?” Johanna called out as she washed the dishes. “You’re gonna get chores eventually. I’ll show you what you need to do around here once you get more situated.”  
  


“Sleep tight, Gamora! Want me to tuck you in?”  
  


What was that?   
  


Clearly she took too long to answer, seeing as Lisa just smiled and said, “Nevermind, I was getting too ahead of myself. If you can’t fall asleep, you can come out and hang out with us. There are a few books in your room too, so if you’re bored, you can take a look at them. They have pictures!”  
  


Nebula quickly made her way back to her new room.  
  


It was big, that was for sure. Far bigger than any room she ever had, which wasn’t too shocking considering how much Father loved Gamora over her. Gamora got her own bed. Nebula had to share a bunk with the rest of her siblings.   
  


The room was sparsely decorated, with just a plain rug and a few bookshelves against the walls. There was a clock too, which had been mentioned before, right above the door frame.The bed was nice looking. She sat down on the mattress, letting herself bounce quietly. The mattress creaked loudly and Nebula froze, turning to the door. She could only see down the hallway and into the living room from where she sat, but she could hear Lisa and Johanna quite well. Johanna was speaking lowly and quietly and Lisa was being loud and boisterous. So, things were normal from what she could tell.   
  


She slowly laid down onto the bed, legs hanging off the edge. It was so plush and soft. She was literally sinking into it-!  
  


Nebula immediately got up and stood in a combat-ready position facing the bed. Was it some sort of Earthling contraption meant to trick her into relaxing? Well, it wouldn’t work on her!  
  


She immediately snatched the blankets off the ‘bed’ and sat on the floor. She took the pillow too after a second thought. She curled up in one of the corners and watched. She could see the bookshelves on the other side of the bedroom as well as the door. She could see the nightstand. Satisfied finally, she let herself relax somewhat. That was her prize. Father would have been proud of her for seeing through such an obvious trap… maybe. Or he’d just let her be eaten for letting it trick her even once.   
  


Perhaps it would change form as the night went on. Nebula certainly hoped not, though she’d be ready if it did. It wouldn’t catch her off guard this time. The clock in her room ticked and the voices of Johanna and Lisa quieted as the night meandered on. When she found it hard to concentrate on the bed, she found herself counting to the ticking of the clock.  
  


_1,100,124 seconds, 1,100,125 seconds…  
  
_

She wondered if there was a drug in the air as she shook herself awake, only to have her eyes slip shut one last time. She was able to read the clock just as her consciousness slipped away.  
  


_4:02 AM  
  
_

* * *

One moment, she was awake at 4:02 AM and the next, she was awake at 7:30 AM. What the fuck?  
  


Her eyes immediately shot from the clock to the bed. Good. It hadn’t changed one bit. Nebula slowly got up and circled the bed just to make sure. No changes.   
  


There was a knock at the door and she jumped and immediately turned to face who it was-- Lisa? Johanna? Perhaps Gamora or Thanos if they found her?? Oh god, she’d been so foolish to forget about them…   
  


“Gamora?” A low voice called out. Great, it was Johanna. Nebula was sure Johanna didn’t like her, but no matter. So long as she tolerated her, it was okay.   
  


“I’m awake.” She quickly deposited the pillows and blankets onto the bed, making sure they looked untouched and smooth before standing to attention at the foot of the bed.   
  


The doorknob turned and Johanna walked in.  
  


“Huh, I thought you were gonna keep your door locked.”  
  


She hadn’t known that was allowed.   
  


“Oh well. Want to join me out on the farm? I can give you a trip around the place. Lisa’s out with the chickens getting a few eggs.” Johanna offered. “Let me show you where the bathroom is first.”  
  


Johanna turned on the heel of her foot and walked off. Nebula took this as a cue to follow her down the hallway. She stopped when Johanna stopped in front of one of the many doors in the hallway.   
  


“Right, so this is the only bathroom we have. Well, there’s an outhouse, but that’s outside, so just use this one when you’re inside. I’ll be in the kitchen.”   
  


Nebula entered the bathroom and quickly cleaned herself up. She pointedly ignored looking in the large mirror on the cabinet door above the sink.   
  


Johanna was just where she said she’d be. She was sitting and hunched over a cup of strong smelling black liquid. Nebula could smell it from here! There was more in a pot connected to a machine.  
  


“Want coffee?” Johanna offered as she took a sip of whatever was in the mug.  
  


“... what’s that?” Though she hated showing weakness, curiosity itched at her.   
  


“Coffee’s a drink. Like water, but it gives you a little pick-me-up, especially in the mornings.”  
  


So it was a drug basically.  
  


“No thank you.” Nebula hoped that Johanna wouldn’t make her drink it anyway.  
  


“How about some water? Or milk?” Johanna raised a brow at her. Milk was only for babies. Nebula wasn’t a baby! How did they even get this milk?  
  


“Water.” She answered, trying-- and failing-- to keep the terseness out of her voice.   
  


“Alright.” Johanna nodded and poured Nebula a cup of water.  
  


“Thanks.” She mumbled as she took a small sip. It tasted like normal water. _Not drugged._  
  


“Right, so want to see the farm or the animals first?”  
  


“... animals.” They seemed interesting. Besides, Johanna said that Lisa was with the animals. Nebula liked Lisa over Johanna.   
  


“Let’s go then.” Johanna grunted as she stood up and exited the house. Nebula followed after her warily. What sort of environment would Earth have? Was there acid rain? It wasn't technologically advanced at all, from what she gathered. Lisa and Johanna had a farm. Perhaps this was a society that barely graduated from hunter-gatherer societies?   
  


_Oh!_ A thought struck her.   
  


What if these two women were the ones who would cause the evolution of this planet?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed. I'm a bit busy, but I'll try to update as much as I can! Max. chapters might change though. Toodles!


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